Lijiang Dining
Lijiang is always regarded as one of the important destinations in the classical Yunnan Travel. What's more, Lijiang Dining is as beautiful as the sceneries here. Especially, the dishes historically cooked by the Naxi people, the main ethnic group in Lijiang, should not be missed when you come to Lijiang. To some extent, Lijiang is a melting-pot for many different cultures. Therefore, when you come to Lijiang, you can eat the food from around Yunnan Province and other Chinese dishes. Whether in the small stalls, or in a small restaurant with a strong Naxi style, you can taste a lots of different and delicious food in Lijiang.
What to Eat in Lijiang
Dishes in Lijang
Naxi Grilled Fish(纳西烤鱼)
The cooking method of Naxi grilled fish is to cut the fish belly and take out the internal organs, then pickle it with salt, pepper and allspice for a while, then put it in a wok and cook it slowly. After the flavor is absorbed, fry it in the oil. Then a delicious Naxi grilled fish is finished.
Lijiang Rice Sausage(glutinous rice and blood sausage)(米灌肠)
Lijiang Rice Sausage is a kind of special flavor food. The rice sausage is called “Mabu(麻补)” in Naxi language. Cook the steamed rice or glutinous rice, and mix it with the fresh pig blood, egg white and various spices, and then poured into the washed pork intestine. Therefore, the delicious Lijiang Rice Sausage is produced. Processing and manufacturing rice sausage has become traditional habit of the Naxi Nationality who are living in Lijiang.
Sandieshui (Snowy Mountain Feast)(三叠水)
Sandieshui is banquet held in honor of distinguished guests and consists of up to 40 odd dishes, though the dishes may vary with the seasonal offerings (usually local specialties are the mainstay, and some of these of course change with the seasons). "Mountain food", however, is a must for the Snowy Mountain Feast. For example, pipa meat, a dish made of salted pork that is pipa-shaped (i.e., roughly lute-, pear-, or chicken-drumstick shaped), is delicious, while multi-layered roast bread is fragrantly delicious.
Naxi Barbecue(纳西烤肉)
Naxi barbecue is a traditional caravan dish popular in Lijiang Ancient Tea Horse Road. The main ingredient is streaky pork. The skin is golden and crisp, fat but not greasy, and the taste is crisp.
Blown Liver(吹肝)
This dish also has roots in ceremonies with pig sacrifices, but it can’t be eaten until at least a month later. The liver is inflated to twice its original size before being filled with a mixture of white wine and white pepper. The bright flavor of the wine and pepper is a good complement to the silky smooth but earthy liver. The blown liver is served thinly sliced in sesame oil with a generous pile of cilantro during the New Year.
Earthen Jar Chicken(土罐罐鸡)
Lijiang local chicken are raised in small villages, orchards and mountain forests with very good natural environment. They eats insect eggs, sedge grass and supplemented with a small amount of grains in the evening. Lijiang people love to eat chicken hot pot. The chicken is also an essential food for the holiday season.
Steam Pot Chicken(汽锅鸡)
Steam pot chicken, got the name from cooking with steam pot, is one of the famous dishes in Yunnan. The main food material is chicken and the main cooking method is boiling. The steam pot chicken has the effect of tonifying deficiency, nourishing the body, enriching the blood, invigorating the spleen and stimulate the appetite.
Salmon Fish(三文鱼)
Lijiang boasts the largest breeding base of Salmon fish in China. Salmon fish is cold-water fish, so the glacial melt water of snow mountain is particularly suitable for raising Salmon fish either in water-quality or in water-temperature. The fry of Salmon fish in Lijiang is introduced from Norway. The Salmon fish is featured with tender flesh and savory flavor, which is totally different from that of frozen products that commonly eaten. Salmon fish is highly recommended.
Lijiang Black Goat Hot Pot(黑山羊火锅)
Black goat hot pot is a special gourmet dish in Lijiang, Yunnan. It is a must-eat in Lijiang, forming a spectacular long scene of “black goat street” in Changshui Road, and in order to highlight the black of the black goat, the black color of the signboard is comparable to the red lantern of the ancient city bar street. .
Mushrooms(菌子)
Lijiang also has many special and precious mushrooms, such as the pine mushroom, termite mushroom and morel mushroom. The salmon and preserved pork ribs are not landmark dishes of the local place but are very popular.
Snacks in Lijiang
Jidou Liangfen(鸡豆凉粉)
Jidou Liangfen is the signature food in Lijiang Ancient Town. Jidou, namely, chickpea, is a unique type of legume in Lijiang. Chickpea is a kind of soybean and it is just like the eyes of the chicken in shape. Chickpea is main ingredient of chickpeas Bean Jelly. Soak the chickpea, grind the socked beans into soybean milk, boil it the milk until it turns gray-white and pour it into different-shape containers for modeling, then Chickpeas Bean Jelly is made. The chickpeas bean jelly is so luring in appearance and palatable in taste.
Lijiang Baba(丽江粑粑)
Lijiang Baba is the Naxi nationality unique flavor of food, has a long history, the Ming Dynasty " the travels of Xu Xiake " that is recorded. It is one of the characteristics of color, smell and taste, its production is the main raw material in Lijiang produced fine wheat flour. Lijiang Baba is divided into salty sweet two kinds, according to their own tastes to arbitrary selection. Its golden color, fragrance, taste crisp and delicious, some add drink butter tea, also have a boundless good flavor.
Shumi Baba(鼠米粑粑)
Shumi Baba is another special flavor in Yongsheng cuisine. Shumi is a kind of potherb. It must be mixed with the flour.
Corn Baba(玉米粑粑)
Corn baba is also called Baogu Baba. It is made from corn and is popular in the southwest. It is a delicious Han snack. Corn baba is usually ground into a thick paste with sticky corn, and then kneaded into a palm-sized block to be steamed and ready for eating.
More about Snacks in Lijiang
Drinks in Lijiang
Yak Butter Tea(酥油茶)
Yak butter tea is a necessary drink in Lijiang. It is often served with Lijiang Baba and other staple food. If you drink the tea alone, you will be easy to get hungry. Buttered tea is the best beverage in Lijiang area because of its high quantity of heat.
Cold Chinese Honeylocust Fruit( 冰皂角)
A bowl of delicious Chinese honeylocust fruit soup, not only the Chinese honeylocust fruit, but also peach gum, white fungus, these three together become a classic combination of soup. It is the best drink in summer.
Cold Rice Wine(冰米酒)
It's almost impossible to separate Lijiang culture from its primary crop of rice. Rice is a main dietary staple as well as the basic ingredient in China's most identifiable contribution to the world of regional wine: rice wine. There's a big difference between grape wine and rice wine, though. Conventional wines are usually fermented from fruits that have high sugar content. As the fruit ferments, yeast converts the native sugars into alcohol. Rice wine is made from glutinous rice. The fully fermented glutinous rice is crispy, with juice, sweet taste. It can be eaten for a whole year.
Lijjiang Yin Wine(丽江窨酒)
Yin wine, using barley, wheat, sorghum as raw materials, brewed with mountain spring water, moderate sweetness, gentle color, cool and delicious, is a low-grade, high-nutrition tonic liquor wine. It can be described as a famous Lijiang wine, which is listed as a special wine for VIP guests in Yunnan Province.
Naxi Barley Wine( 纳西大麦酒)
Naxi barley wine is a great treat for entertaining guests. Drinking is also a tradition for Naxi people to welcome guests. The barley wine is full of sweet and intoxicating and the taste is absolutely perfect. However, the state of being intoxicated is too strong to drink too much.
Highland Barley Wine(青稞酒)
Highland Barley wine is made from alpine spring and plateau barley. It is rich in the fragrance of highland barley wine and it is a kind of wine that is loved by the local people in Lijiang.
Sulima Wine(苏里玛酒)
When you come to Lugu Lake, it is the best place to drink a large bowl of wine and eat a large bowl of meat. Sulima wine is a kind of special wine to treat the guests for Mosuo people. The wine is slightly orange, with low alcohol content and delicious taste. It is also known as “Mosuo Beer”. Sulima is also known as "Dangdang wine(咣当酒)". However, the state of being intoxicated is too strong to drink too much.
Where to Eat in Lijiang
Top 6 Most Popular Lijiang Restaurants
- Dreamer Hong Trout Restaurant(梦想家虹鳟鱼餐厅)
Add: Middle Section of Huama Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区花马街中段)
Tel: 0888-5399234 - No. 88 Snack Bar(88号小吃店)
Add: No. 88 Xingren Upper Section, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City (丽江市古城区五一街兴仁上段88号)
Tel: 0888-8888676/0888-5183111 - Uncle He Restaurant(和叔食府)
Add: Middle Section of Zhenxing Alley, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区五一街振兴巷中段)
Tel: 18708886017 - V·SHERRY(云雪丽餐厅)
Add: No. 95 Xingwen Alley, Qiyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区七一街兴文巷95号)
Tel: 0888-5111196 - Yunshuiyao Restaurant(云水肴)
Add: Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province(云南省丽江市古城区)
Tel: 0888-5185588 - Stone Pot Yu▪ Delicacy Restaurant(石锅渔▪山珍馆)
Add: No. 72 Changshui Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区长水路72号)
Tel: 0888-5114369
Naxi Flavor Restaurants
The local restaurants in Lijiang are naturally indispensable for Naxi cuisine. There are many Naxi restaurants in the Sifang Street, Xiangshan Market and Huama Street. You can eat authentic Naxi dishes.
- No. 88 Snack Bar(88号小吃店)
Add: No. 88 Xingren Upper Section, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City (丽江市古城区五一街兴仁上段88号)
Tel: 0888-8888676/0888-5183111 - Amayi Naxi Restaurant(阿妈意纳西饮食院)
Add: Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Provice(云南省丽江市古城区五一街)
Tel: 0888-5309588 - Zifeiyu Restaurant(子非鱼食府)
Add: No. 57 Wenhua Alley, Wuyi Street, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区五一街文华巷57号)
Tel: 0888-5101898
Most Popular Food Streets
Sifang Street(四方街)
Sifang Street is the core of Lijiang Ancient Town. The street is surrounded by four main streets and is a famous snack street. The surrounding snacks are all over the place, and you can enjoy a lot of Naxi specialties when you stroll around. Next to Xinhua Street is Lijiang’s famous bar street, which is lit up every night and visitors are numerous.
Qiyi Street(七一街)
Qiyi Street is the main street that extends to the southeast direction of Sifang Street. It is also the old street where the ancient town is very well preserved. Shops, inns and gourmet restaurants along the street, where you can enjoy local delicacies and taste Naxi specialties. Whether it is day or night, it is the hottest street in Lijiang Ancient Town.
Huama Street(花马街)
Huama Street is a characteristic street in Lijiang Ancient Town. It is usually lively, with complete facilities, food and shopping malls. Huama Street is famous for salmon restaurant. It is the best place to eat salmon. Every salmon restaurant has their own characteristics.
Zhongyi Market(忠义市场)
Zhongyi Market is a large farmer's market close to Lijiang Ancient Town, with the most authentic Lijiang lifestyle. Here you can buy the freshest ingredients and eat cheap and delicious Lijiang snacks.
Xiangshan Market(象山市场)
Xiangshan Market is a famous local farmer's market. The Yujie preserved Ribs Restaurant(钰洁腊排骨) is located here. And many tourists come here. There are many snack bars and fruit shops in the market. The locals live in a gathering place.
Sakura Food Plaza(樱花美食广场)
A food plaza, a warm house with beautiful cherry blossoms, it has its own characteristics and there are signature dishes in the restaurants. Please come and gather here to experience the beauty of the cherry blossoms. Sakura Food Plaza is located opposite the Wenyuan Garden in the Ancient Town Square of Qiyi Street. Let friends enjoy the leisure time of Lijiang.
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